Q and A: Lisa Yenter

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Guide, Lisa Yenter talks about her daughter's experience on “The Bachelor” and what the show was like from a mother's perspective

Mandy Matneyeditor@waynesvilledailyguide.com

Lindsay Yenter, daughter of the current commanding general of Fort Leonard, Maj. Gen. Mark Yenter and Lisa Yenter, starred on ABC's “The Bachelor” this winter and made it to the final round of the show. Less than a month after her daughter's heart was broken on national television, Lisa Yenter talked about what it was like to have a daughter on the Bachelor, what she thought of the show, and what Lindsay is up to now.

How did Lindsay get the idea to be on “The Bachelor”?Actually, it wasn't her idea. One of her best friends from college was watching the Bachelorette and signed her up for the show without even telling her. She sent in a picture of Lindsay in a military ball gown and ABC called her one day. It was about a three to four month process, between interviewing and sending in videos.

What did you and your husband think when Lindsay was selected for the show?We were very excited for her. After Lindsay graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno, all of her friends were going off in different directions and she decided to come home for a while. She was at home working three jobs at Waynesville School District, at Fort Wood Hotels, and at Hoppers Pub. It was a great time to go on the show because she was transitioning into her career and she wanted to move to California anyways. We thought it would be a great experience, she would get to travel and maybe find the love of her life.

How did you feel when you saw Lindsay on the first episode in a wedding dress?I had no idea she was going to do that. As soon as she went on the show, she had no contact with anyone. We called it the “Bachelor Bubble” because they didn't have cell phones, computers, television, newspapers or magazines and were basically shut out from the rest of the world. We had thought of her doing something military-related, like coming out of a tank or something. I was shocked when she came out in a wedding dress. She was not feeling well that day, and knew she had to do something to be noticed. She's usually not that risky.

Do you think the show accurately portrayed Lindsay? Why or why not?They could have done a lot more with her story line. I didn't like how much they showed her kissing Sean. She has a lot more layers. She's very loving, kind, fun and sweet, and they showed that, but there is definitely more to Lindsay.

What was the hometown visit like for you and your family?The producers of the show called about a week before and told us they were coming for the hometown visit. We were very excited. We really wanted to showcase Fort Leonard Wood, but we weren't able to show that as much as we wanted to. We wanted them to do spouse training on post, but weren't allowed to do that through the military. I loved how they portrayed Waynesville. They did a good job with that. But the most important thing was we were able to see Lindsay and meet Sean.

Was the hometown visit similar to how they portrayed it?They were only here for a day. I wasn't allowed to spend time with her while she was here until she came to the house with Sean. They were here for a few hours and we talked a lot and had a lot of interviews. Of course, they cut a lot out.

Did you like Sean when you met him?Sean's a really nice guy and I really was looking forward to getting to know him better. He had great values and a great family.I did say that I said the same thing to Lindsay as Sean's mother did about not rushing in to getting married. I felt that the relationship would begin after the show, but they didn't show that part.

Did you want Sean and Lindsay to get married right away if she was selected?I believe in the old fashioned way of doing things. My husband and I dated for a few years before we got engaged. I feel like getting married and engaged should be a one-time thing. I didn't think there was a reason to rush into anything.

Lindsay got pretty famous fast. Was it weird seeing your daughter on the cover of tabloids in the grocery store?I did see the tabloids, and of course I had to buy each one. It wasn't that shocking that she was on the magazines because I had seen it before.

What did you think of all the local support for Lindsay?The local support was wonderful. We had a lot of fun with it, with watch parties every week and it was a fun thing for people to talk about. It was also cool that it was around the same as Vino Alan was on the “X-Factor” and it was just so cool for the community to have these two reality stars. How did Lindsay tell you about Sean breaking up with her? What was your reaction?She really couldn't tell me about the ending because she was under contract. She was heart-broken when she came home after the show and I put it together.

I heard that you helped Lindsay cope with the break up, how did you help her heal?She came home and spent a lot of time with family and friends. There was a lot of laughing and a lot of decompressing from the whole experience. She was able to see it for what it was: a dating show. I was proud of her for putting it into perspective. I was very proud how she dealt with it. She went on the show and gave it her all. She experienced that thoroughly and grew a lot. She took away so much from it.Other women are talking to her now about their break-up because of how well she handled it. I'm very proud of her for that.

Did it hurt just as much seeing your daughter get her heart broken on national television? You mean did I want to throw him in the lake or throw one of her shoes at him? Yeah, I did. But I'm not mad anymore. I really wish him and Catherine the best.

Are you glad Lindsay did the show?Lindsay said that she relied a lot on prayer, thoughts, and journaling while she was on the show and detached from the outside world and I really felt that was a good thing for her. I thought of it as a self-awareness type of experience. We see it as a very positive thing. She made a lot of great friends from the show she's still really close to.

What is Lindsay up to now?She's getting a lot of unique opportunities to volunteer. She's a part of a group called Bachelor Nation that organizes fundraisers for non-profit groups. As a military family, we've always encouraged volunteer work for our kids and we're really proud of what she's doing with this newfound sort of fame from “The Bachelor.” Lindsay is now putting together a national event to raise money for St. Jude with her sorority from college, Tri Delta. She's doing things like that to help out. She's also teaching full-time while living in the L.A. area. She's very happy now.

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